Iron Monkey movie review

Iron Monkey is the sort of action movie that doesn’t bury the lead. Iron Monkey is the hero of the film, he’s a badass in the Robin Hood tradition and this movie gets right to the point – surreal kung fu fighting! As a quick aside, I am unclear if this story is based on an actual Chinese folk hero or not – I lean toward yes, it is, but I’m not positive… so take that for what you will.

Anyway, Iron Monkey speaks for itself: there are good guys, bad guys and their motivations are clear. This also means the characters don’t have a ton of depth: Iron Monkey, for example, is just a good man – by day, he helps the people as a doctor, by night, he helps the people as a vigilante. On the other hand, Fox (the police chief) and Wong Kei-ying (you know, that kid’s dad), are a bit more interesting than other people in the flick, like the governor, who is the least interesting character ever. But at least he’s consistent; the flat characters never muck up the narrative, and that counts for something, especially when the movie is about two simple things: good triumphing over evil and kick ass surreal martial arts.

I gotta be honest with ya, I kinda loved this movie. It’s not perfect, but it was fun and delivered exactly what it promised. Iron Monkey isn’t exactly a classic, but I’m giving it an 8 out of 10; if you have any interest in a Robin Hood story, an action movie or martial arts, you’ll probably dig it.